Panel discussions

Broadcaster Max Armstrong asks a panel of UAV-using farmers questions about how they use the systems on their farms, and advice they have for other growers who may be thinking about buying one for their farm. Educational sessions were held throughout the day that focused on making use of UAV data, issues with FAA regulations, modifying UAVs and more. Sessions were packed with attendees eager to learn more about the technology that’s gained so much attention over the past year.

Demos

Another highlight of PAAS is the flight demos, where each of the UAS companies are able to launch their systems and fly them during a 15 min. segment to show the crowd how they operate in the air. It’s a time for each company to showcase what’s unique about their UAS systems. Here, Trimble is getting ready to launch its new UX5 fixed-wing unit. We featured this one as a Good Buy in a recent issue of Farm Industry News.

Onto the UAVs: Precision Drone

Precision Drone’s top-of-the-line UAS shown here is the PaceSetter, which offers a look at what they call “Precision Vision,” an NDVI image that shows vegetation levels and allows for writing prescriptions. The unit can run for 100 acres, and the company has tested them on corn, soybeans wheat and other crops. Based in Noblesville, Ind., the company sells their units to dealers across 20 states in the U.S. They also sell to Canada. On the PaceSetter, a live feed is available, along with preplanned scouting routs, flight simulation mode, failsafe return to home and flight status monitoring. A PaceSetter kit is sold for $21,500. See the next slide for more models the company offers.

Additional models

The two smaller models available from Precision Drone are the Onset (left) and the Precision Scout (right). Pricing on these models vary based on the dealerships. Onset is the most basic model, which records video and photo, features the failsafe return home feature and also has flight status monitoring. And Precision Scout has all those features but also is able to send live feed from the air like the PaceSetter model. For more information, visit precisiondrone.com.

Tethered system

Hoverfly has been around for a long time for use in the news and entertainment industries, but it’s just now getting into ag. The company offered the only system at the show that is powered by a tether attached to the power source on the ground. The model shown is called LiveSky, and it requires no batteries. It reaches a height of 150 ft. And the camera offers full HD photo and video transmission. A joystick is used for operation, and the power unit plugs into a standard 120VAC outlet. Al Ducharme, president, says that while the unit is tethered to the ground, it can be placed in the back of a pickup to move around a farm. What’s key is that because the unit is tethered to the ground, it’s not technically “unmanned,” which means it could potentially be used for commercial uses legally in agriculture. LiveSky costs $15,000 for a basic model and $20,000 with an NDVI option. And the company has developed another un-tethered model called the BigSky 60 that will be targeted specifically for agriculture. Those will start at $21,000. Visit hoverflytech.com.

Starter kit

Horizon Hobby showed off its 350 QX2 AP Combo set to show attendees, which is priced at just $899.99 – an ideal figure for growers wanting to get a start with UAVs. The combo comes with the ability to capture HD aerial footage, a new C-GO1 Camer and a brushless gimbal. You’re also able to use a companion app for iOS and Android devices to preview video in real-time and watch it in full after the flight. The package includes the HD camera, transmitter batteries and charger. Visit horizonhobby.com. See the next slide for Horizon’s more advanced UAS.

Survey & scout

Horizon Precision Systems, Inc. (an offshoot of Horizon Hobby) had its 5501 autonomous aerial survey platform available to view, which surveys up to 50 acres per flight and up to 200 acres per hour. Users can stream live video, and the system includes a near-infrared camera for creating NDVI imagery. It operates autonomously after you plot a course using the Ground Station Interface. And a GSI tablet is included to create and monitor flight plans. The kit includes the 5501 Aerial Survey Platform, the Samsung Galaxy Tab ground station interface (GSI), transmitter, GoPro Hero 3+ camera, near infrared camera, live video feed and monitoring, four batteries, a charger and case. Price: $12,000. Visit horizonprecision.com.

Military roots

AirCover Solutions has military roots as it build the first autonomous quad-rotor vehicle in 2008 for military use. But the company is moving into the agriculture industry through its work with several universities across the country. The QR425 Rapid Deploy UAS has a ground control unit that’s booted and ready to go in 15 seconds. It features auto takeoff and landing, plus return to home capability. It can operate in up to 40 mph wind and the company said the live video it offers is truly high resolution. Since the company historically developed military UAS, the specifications of this model have been FAA approved. While the company is only working with universities now, the potential exists for the unit to be made more widely available pending FAA rulings. Visit aircoversolutions.com.

A Hornet

The Agribotix Hornet agricultural UAS is a fixed-wing unit that features autonomous takeoff, flight and landing and is built to be extra durable. The unit features dual radios, four batteries and a bungee launch system so users don’t have to manually throw the unit in the air. A ground control station includes GUI flight planning software and cloud-connect capabilities. This year is the first year they’ve had their units in full operation, and they’ve been primarily selling through coops. You can purchase the unit for $8,000, but the company says customers also like the leasing option for $6,000, which includes 10,000 acres of image stitching. Additional services they offer include geotiff and Google Earth formatting, fertilizer prescription maps, weed coverage maps and storage. Visit agribotix.com.

Swiss UAS

The eBee Ag UAS from senseFly, a Switzerland-based company, is targeted at agriculture and comes standard with a S110 NIR camera. The fixed-wing unit flies autonomously through the company’s eMotion software. The Postflight Terra 3D photogrammetry software (powered by Pix4D) allows for post-flight image processing and analysis. The eBee Ag can be used for biomass estimation, nitrogen recommendation, weed detection and plant counting. Visit sensefly.com.

Speaking of that software

The Pix4D photogrammetry software mentioned in the last photo is setting the bar high for the image processing side of this industry. The company makes an image processing software that’s solving the challenges of image stitching many UAS manufacturers and operators have faced. The software can be purchased or rented, and it can take any imagery and automatically do the stitching process, then output geo-referenced orthomosaics and 3D models. Basically, it’s making that process of turning images of your fields into usable data much faster and easier. The company sells its software to a number of UAS manufacturers (like senseFly) who in turn offer it to their customers, but individual growers who may want to use it to make sense of their aerial imagery can do so. The mosaics and models can be exported into any kind of farm-based software. While their software is relatively new to agriculture, it’s been used in mining and mapping for years. Cost for renting the service is about $350 per month. Purchasing the software is a one-time charge of about $8,800. So for growers who may only need to process imagery a few times per growing season, the rental service makes more sense. Visit pix4d.com.

Farm Intelligence

This fixed-wing unit, called the Vireo, from Farm Intelligence can be launched by hand and is fully autonomous in flight and landing. The company says it’s “ultra-portable” since it’s only about 3 lbs. The system includes the Vireo UAV; RGB and NIR sensors, a ground control station, a software suite, batteries and charger, field kit, case and compatibility with photogrammetry software. The sensors in the system can self-configure for crop type and growth stage, and the imagery is geolocated. NDVI imagery allows growers to stack data together to make immediate decisions during the growing season. Cost of the system is $25,000, and there is an additional fee for processing of the data through WingScan Software, based in Mankato, Minn. Visit farmintelligence.com.

Imaging experts

Field of View is known for its aerial imaging solutions for use on UAVs. Their GeoSnap systems are camera add-ons with GPS antennas that are meant to be used with DSLR cameras in order to allow the cameras to take geo-referenced imagery. They GeoSnaps also have SD cards and adapters, and they have camera-specific mounting software. Field of View also makes multi-spectral systems, or Tetracams, for a number of purposes, such as identifying plant stress factors, soil types, fertilizers, insecticides, or differentiating plant species by their unique spectral signature. Shown here is the result of Field of View’s partnership with DMZ Aerial (UAV maker). This is the Phantom 2 UAV produced by DMZ and it is equipped with Field of View’s Tetracam and GoSnap features. $25,000 can get you the whole system, and there are no associated subscription fees. fieldofviewllc.com.

CropCopter

The CropCopter rotary wing kit includes the copter with GPS and a stabilized camera gimbal to keep the camera level. It also comes with a Spektrum DX9 2.4 GHZ flight controller-transmitter, a GoPro Hero 3+ HD video camera, a storage case, Fatshark FPV video goggles, automated flight/waypoint software, batteries and a ground unit. It is fully autonomous and has 35-40 minutes of runtime. The company said they designed the outer case to look similar to how NFL football helmets look. Price can ranges from $10,000 to $20,000 depending on configurations. They say their units are completely customizable. Visit chiefagronomics.com.

Hundreds showed up on Wednesday for the kick-off of the 2014 Precision Aerial Ag Shown (PAAS) in Decatur, Ill - about 900 tickets were sold ahead of time. The event is the first-ever show to focus solely on UAV use in agriculture, and it’s taking place on the Farm Progress Show grounds, known as Progress City. Take a look at some of the day’s events, and see a wide sampling of the models that were available to see and watch in action at the show.